Surreptitious

Chapter 42: New Dynamics

It was a late Sunday afternoon the next day when Josie found herself seated at a table in the dining hall with Nimyra. The previous night they had allowed the wolves to get comfortable in the transition cells after making them slightly more livable, and Alaric wanted them contained until they were sure the wolves were not there to cause trouble. It had been pretty obvious, however, that they were in dire need of help. Every single member of the pack had been badly attacked and carried bruises, gashes and broken bones. Luckily all they needed was a place to rest and some nutrients in order to heal over time. They didn’t heal as fast as the vampires did, but they were proud and would not make use of vampire blood, choosing to suffer through to late the next day when most of them started feeling better.

“I haven’t had a chance to say that I’m sorry…” Josie breathed slowly as she spoke softly to Nim next to her. “For your losses, I mean, and all you have suffered. If we had been there still…”

“If you had been there you probably would have been dead as well. There were dozens of them – they came at us in full force. Dozens of wolf-vampire hybrids. We stood no chance. Kaylin died first. Gastuan died trying to protect River. River barely survived.” Nim recounted events with pain etched into her features, her voice cracking at certain spots in her sentence, and her breath catching at other points. “They’re an ugly pack of mangy creatures, Josie, with no mercy or remorse. I’m afraid of the kind of influence they might exercise in NOLA.”

“Nim, I swear their time will come. One day, when we survive what’s inevitably headed our way, we’ll get rid of them afterwards. You’ll have your home back.” Josie comforted the wolf-witch as best as she could, letting her one hand reach out to hold Nim’s just below the bandage that sat wrapped tightly around her wrist and arm.

“So, what exactly is headed this way? We just about had a heart attack at all the spells and alarms when we tried to get to the school.” Nim arched a brow and Josie smiled softly and sadly, then went into a terribly long rhetoric regarding Malivore and the Necromancer and how the whole situation came to be.

“Okay, that sounds about ten million times more complicated than our situation.” Nim shook her head disbelievingly by the time Josie had reached the end of her story. It took a while.

“Maybe…” Josie ventured tentatively, “Maybe we could make these situations OUR situations, you know?”

Nim frowned in confusion. “You mean like, work together? We help you and you help us?”

Josie bit her bottom lip, pretty sure she was speaking out of turn now, but she felt like she needed to plant the seed at least. “I was thinking more of…uniting, period.”

Nim leaned back as the thought sunk in, her icy gaze suddenly growing darker. “River would never consent. He won’t give up being alpha for anyone or anything.”

“Why is he alpha? Am I allowed to ask that question?” Josie tilted her head curiously.

“He earned the position. We were all scrappy little shits when we found each other and there were mild power struggles. But River was the one that really stood tall amongst everyone. He came up with survival strategies and saw to it that we obtained all of our basic needs. He found us our home in the Bayou and always made sure that we were kept off the radar. He was bigger and stronger than the rest of us and he knew what he wanted and took it. He is a leader. He was born to be a leader, and he has the respect of his pack. And I know he seems a bit gruff and egotistical, but trust me – he’s a good guy. He just wants to take care of us.” It was obvious that when Nim spoke about River she truly did so with the utmost admiration and respect and Josie wouldn’t be able to bear interfering with that. But still she couldn’t help but wonder if this was Hope’s chance…